BY LORETTA BRIGIDIA MANELE
IN any society the need to sustain peace is important for its betterment and advancement.
This is according to Prime Minister Rick Houenipwela who was present at the launching of UNPBF (United Nations Peacebuilding Fund) Joint Programme Initiative at Heritage Park Hotel yesterday.
Moreover, he shared a message under the programme’s theme “Sustaining Peace and Stability” and highlighted that without peace, development will cease to occur.
In addition, the Prime Minister said that when peace is absent children will not be able to go to school and the aspect of realising our full potentials and aspirations will only remain as mere dreams.
“The nexus of peace and development, therefore, cannot be exaggerated. We need peace in order to have optimal and sustainable development. The inverse is equally true in that we have to have development in order to have peace in our communities throughout the country,” he said.
Prime Minister Houenipwela digressed to state that it is not only about employment opportunities or strong per capita incomes but also about engineering a development avenue that will spur growth and empower people in the rural areas.
“It is about creating the enabling environment, a development pathway that empowers women and youth, harness comparative advantages in their localities. It is about remaining engaged and having the feeling of worth and a sense of making a contribution to the welfare and betterment of the country as whole,” he said.
The initiative is a UNBPF funded project that aims to support sustaining peace in Solomon Islands in the Post RAMSI and election period through inclusive implementation of solutions supported by UN agencies, UNDP (United Nations Development Project) and UN Women in collaboration with PMO (Prime Minister’s Office), MNURP (Ministry of National Unity, Reconciliation and Peace) MWYCFA (Ministry of Women, Youth, Children and Family Affairs) and other relevant stakeholders.
